On March 8th every year, the world comes together to celebrate the achievements of girls and women around the world, and the progress made in the road towards global gender equality.

As I think about what needs to be done to achieve gender equality in my lifetime, I recognize that women and girls all over the world continue to be held back. They are disproportionately affected by discrimination, violence, and exploitation. Too many women are deprived of the opportunity to an education and basic health care services.

Women and girls also continue to represent the majority of the world’s poor. 70% of the 1 billion poorest people are female.

This International Women’s Day, we must send the message to world leaders that women and girls must be put front and center in all global decisions. Join me today in taking action for gender equality.

Here’s how:

1. Take a #ShowYourSelfie to call on world leaders to invest in youth, especially adolescent girls

Action Health, Nigeria

The #Showyourselfie campaign, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, is mobilizing young people all around the world to show world leaders that the needs and rights of young people matter and MUST be a priority in the future of development.

Starting today, to celebrate International Women’s Day, the campaign is placing the spotlight on the universal right to health, including access to contraception and sexuality education.

So take a Healthy Selfie today on www.showyourselfie.org to tell world leaders to prioritize comprehensive sexuality education and quality healthcare for young people!

Want to know more? Find out why why sexual reproductive and health rights for young people is so important.

2. Sign the Action/2015 Petition for Gender Equality

Flickr: DFID UK 

Never has a single year offered so much.  The world has the opportunity commit to a future where everyone is lifted from extreme poverty and where women and girls achieve equality. Global citizens have to seize this opportunity to ensure that leaders advance the most forward thinking agenda for women and girls -- and for that matter everyone.

As the world celebrates International Women's Day, take action for gender equality by signing the petition on the side of this content piece. Call on world leaders to ensure they commit to a better world by placing girls and women at the heart of global development efforts.

If ambitious agreements are made and kept to, they could transform the lives of billions of women and girls who are on the frontlines of poverty, inequality and climate change.

Want to know more? Find out the 10 reasons why investing in girls and women is the smartest thing to do.

3. Share the No Ceilings Info graphic

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the No Ceilings initiative of the Clinton Foundation have joined forces to gather data and analyze the gains made for women and girls over the last two decades, particularly to identify the gaps that remain.

One of the most important and effective ways to lift girls and women out of poverty is through education. One additional year of education increases a girl’s potential income by up to 25 percent.

Yet, 31 million girls around the world don’t have the opportunity to pursue an education. Every day, they are taken out of school and forced to work or marry. One out of five girls in the developing world doesn’t even complete the sixth grade.

Share this infographic today to show your support for the right to education for girls everywhere!

Want to know more? Find out the unfinished business of the 21st century for girls and women at www.noceilings.org

This international Women’s Day you have the opportunity to make real change in three different ways. Join me in taking a step towards achieving global gender equality today.